HTC's 8X running Windows Phone 8 is upon us, sporting an 8-megapixel rear camera. To see what it's capable of, I took it for a walk along the Thames with the iPhone 5. Both cameras were set to their maximum resolutions and all settings were put on automatic.
The results were generally fairly pleasing. Image quality was fair and fine details on distant buildings were visible when I viewed the photos on a full screen back at the office. The iPhone 5 provides sharper lines on distant buildings so has the edge in terms of clarity, but the 8X's attempts were still good.
The 8X does, however, offer very different image tones. While the iPhone 5 has a more natural image tone -- albeit sometimes bordering on the cold -- the 8X had a darker, almost purple hue to it. This is not always unpleasant, and gives a warmer feel to an autumnal picture -- but it's not an accurate depiction of the scene. If I want to add warm tones, I'll do so in post production.
Unlike the iPhone however, the 8X offers the ability to tweak some of the settings. Effects such as black and white or sepia are available and you can also change white balance, exposure, contrast, saturation, sharpness and ISO speeds. The camera does a decent job on full auto mode but it's handy to be able to tweak the settings if you want to get a bit more creative.
It's not as full-featured as HTC's high-end Android phones though. The One X offers numerous shooting modes like burst mode, panorama and HDR -- none of which are available on the 8X. The lack of apps in the Windows Phone 8 store will be a similar problem for photography enthusiasts. There's a few bits and pieces for editing your snaps, but none of the big names -- such as Instagram or Photoshop -- are available.
The camera is also able to shoot 1080p video which I found to be comparable to the video on most higher-end smartphones around. It's got a front-facing camera too for those vain self portraits and video calling.
The camera is generally acceptable and will do fine for your everyday snaps. The iPhone 5 offered slightly clearer and more realistic colour tones in its shots so it takes the prize in this test. If you want more shooting modes and access to a wider choice of editing apps then you should look to some of the high-end Android devices.
I'll be pitting the 8X against the Nokia Lumia 920 and others soon, so stay tuned for a more comprehensive comparison. In the meantime, check out my full review of the HTC 8X and let me know what you think to the phone -- and to Windows Phone 8 -- in the comments below and on our Facebook page.
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Comments 7
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shauney3 30 October, 2012 12:44
The first shot from the HTC looks like a VGA camera lol! Terrible!
The second one is a little better, though a bit washed out...
ElDiabloJuanCarl 30 October, 2012 20:05
I think the iPhone won the first round with ease, but for me the HTC takes round two as the iPhone white balance seems way off. St. Pauls (? - not from London) cathedral just looks so washed out.
Carelezz PhlyBoy OhsoMazing 31 October, 2012 13:18
The 8x looks too dark overall and the iphone images look better
anonymous 31 October, 2012 17:54
comparison is totally wrong, 8X is not a camera type phone but audio type phone "beats audio", if you want to compare cameras choose the lumia 920 camera.
zadk 4 November, 2012 01:30
It's difficult to do a fair comparison with these two, the HTC has a wider field of view, so of course with the same number of megapixels and from the same distance there will be less detail. But on the flip side you can get more in the photo, thus you could take the same photo as you get in the iphone, but standing about 1/6th closer. This would improve image quality slightly.
So a fair comparison for analysis of detail would include a comparison with the same FOV, not necessarily taken from exactly the same spot, seeing as if you wanted to get the same amount in frame with the Iphone you'd have to stand ~15-20m back.
The other thing that was missed here is that things like panorama are accessed through the 'lenses' menu, not the settings menu. It also won't be long before a HDR app is available. While you may see the features in settings as limited, the whole point of the lenses menu is that it allows for unlimited settings by letting apps plug into the camera. This allows you to have 1 or 2 effects options or 1000s if you want them. It is a much more elegant feature than android phones' stock camera features, and needing to launch an entirely separate app for anything else.
anonymous 5 January, 2013 10:36
Actually, both HTC images are far better. They capture a greater range of colour. The iphone demonstrates a false quality by whitewashing everything. If you could see the natural scene, I think you'd see the difference. (I'm a professional photographer)
Luis Aguilar Mateo 26 February, 2013 13:42
After a few weeks using this phone, I can say that the HTC Windows Phone 8X has an excellent design thanks to its curved lines and monochassis colorful body, which is also great to hold.
The screen has one of the highest pixel density in the market and, while it is a little bit small for today standards, it should be big enough for most users.
Performance in applications and games is excellent, and Windows 8 interface moves smoothly thanks to the Snapdragon S4 dual core processor at 1.5GHz and 1GB of RAM. Unfortunately the internal storage is quite limited with only 16GB.
The camera performance is quite good, also not as good as the Nokia Lumia 920 in low light conditions. If you want to see a comparison between pictures taken by HTC Windows Phone 8X, HTC One X+ and Nokia Lumia 920 check this analisis del HTC Windows Phone 8X article (text in Spanish but pictures can be easily found)
Finally, its price tag makes this telephone a very attractive option for anyone looking for a Windows Phone 8 device.